GOOD LIFE FOR ALL

GOOD LIFE FOR ALL

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Saturday, February 2, 2019

Veterans Transition Fair Sat Feb 2nd


From: Charles.Ramey2@va.gov
To: boates4616@aol.com
Sent: 2/1/2019 10:24:49 Pacific Standard Time
Subject: RELEASE 19-02-01: (Updated Information/Schedule) Feb. 2 Veterans Transition Fair, Town Hall

Attn: Southern Nevada Community Partners
Just a reminder that the Department of Veterans Affairs will be co-hosting a Veterans Transition Fair and Quarterly Town Hall with the Southern Nevada Veterans Community Engagement Board at the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday.
Approximately 60 VA and community organizations will be on hand to provide information and host interactive workshops on benefits, health care and education for transitioning service members, Veterans, family members and caregivers (Details are in the release below).
If you can assist us with one final blast in getting the word out on this event to our local Veterans and military community via your news organizations, distribution lists or social media sites, it would be greatly appreciated.
Respectfully,
Chuck Ramey
CHARLES W. RAMEY

Chief, Public Affairs

VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS)
Direct (702) 791-90

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Newsletter Editor

Newsletter Editor
My Name is Robert Serge

I was born on June 30th, 1946, and grow up in a small Town of Punxsutawney Pa. Where I went to school and played on the local football Teams and graduated from School in 1966 but my education did not stop there. I learned to be an electrician from my dad. Then my dad’s best friend owned a gas and service station where I learned to be a car mechanic. After high School I went to Electronic school in Pittsburgh Pa. for two years. That’s when I got drafted so I joined The United States Navy. About 30 years after high school I went back to school and received an Associate Degree in Architectural Drafting.


I am a United States Navy Veteran enlisted July of 1968. Was in the Great Lakes for recruit training, my first duty station was NAVORDLABTESTFAC OR N O L T F for short. I was an FA, Electrical Repairmen I was medically retired 1/29/1970.  Shortly after leaving the United States Navy I Joined the DAV

I am a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veteran of America, and the American Legion.

I started with the American Legion as a junior member which now is the Sons of the American Legion. So I am proud to be associated with the Legion for about 57 years in one form or another. I also was invited to join the 40 & 8 of the American Legion, which is the only way you can be a member of the 40 & 8. I am a past Chef DE Gar of the 40 & 8 during that time. I am a member of the Disabled American Veteran for about 45 years during that time. I became a Commander of two different chapters, Chapter 68 Punxsutawney Pa. And Chapter 73 Erie Pa.

The Next Veterans group I joined was Vietnam Veterans of America My First Chapter Was Chapter 435 Erie, Pa My Second chapter Was Chapter 106 Tucson AZ. There I was Chapter Secretary. Also, I was The NAM JAM   Director for the Year Of 2008.  Then VVA Chapter 17 Las Vegas Where I was the blog, and the webmaster. Now I belong to VVA chapter 1076 in Henderson Nevada. Where I am the blog-Master, and webmaster. I am also a proud supporter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 711 Las Vegas Nevada. I am their blog, and Webmaster. Also, I do the same thing for the Nevada Veterans Foundation.

I am a very proud Veteran and humbled to being asked to do these things I do for all of the Veterans groups I belong to.  From the bottom of my heart

Thank you
Robert Serge

Blog and Webmaster

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Memories from the last half of the last century.......Feel old?


I added some comments at the bottom.  Some memories, some political commentary.

Black and White

(Under age 45? You won't understand.)

You could hardly see for all the snow,

Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.

'Good Night, David .

Good Night, Chet.'

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.

Almost all of us would

Have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool

(talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE... and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option... Even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself. – Trophies were only given to the Champions, sometimes 2nd and 3rdbut no Participant trophies.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah... And where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.

We also played other rough full contact games without pads like “Kill the guy with the Ball’, Tackle Town, British Bulldog, Capture the Flag and Buck-Buck We got lots  of scrapes and cuts, that is for sure.

Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $99 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either; because if we did we got our butt spanked there and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home, often with a belt or a paddle.

I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off.

Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house.

Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a jerk It was a neighborhood run a muck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family.

How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes.

We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even

notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac!

How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA; AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T, SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING!

Pass this to someone and remember that life's most simple pleasures are very often the very best

I recall cutting lawns in the neighborhood with our push mower for a small income that kept my bicycle in intertubes that were not all patches.  Then my Father threatened to charge me rent on the tools he had to fix now and then.   Now I have to hire a landscape guy to do this task and it sometimes gets done as needed even through the language barrier.   Mine has a new and very shiny pickup truck pulling his well-stocked trailer filled with all sorts of equipment and tools.  I do not mind paying for things I could do but I am retired and my wife is never happy with the condition of things.  Even after the yard guy leaves, I have to straighten things out.  But I look at this is providing honest work to those who are willing to do it.

At age 13, I got a paper route (Oakland Tribune) where I had to deliver the paper within reach of the customer at their door.  Carrying the papers in the special carrier, an over-the-shoulders canvas carrier, folding the papers neatly as I walked the route or on Sunday, putting a rubber band around it.  No plastic bags back then.  It had to be placed where the rain would not touch it. Not bad money as good service brought good tips.   Bought a bicycle (3-speed) after saving a year for it.  Now I sometimes have to pick mine up from the street from at the 0530 delivery time by some person(s) and vehicle racing around that brings up thoughts that this might be a drive-by shooting about to occur.  This must also pay well as none of the cars I see are older than mine, are usually black and quite loud.

The Black & White TV was replaced by a magical color TV with a 10 inch or so screen as there were boxing on two days a week and Pop was a fan.  It drew neighbors to our living room. Professional football back then was rare as the college game was the big thing.  Kezar Stadium in San Francisco was used by the 49ers.  A 7,000 seat venue they paid rent at.  The big college games drew from 75 to 100,000 fans.  ABC was still black and white then at Monday Night AFL Football.  Then the merger.  It made enough money for ABC to go to color.  If you remember Howard Cosell you have mostly gray hair and arthritis.

Now, a team can move into a new, large stadium supported mostly by my and my neighbor's tax dollars.  Perhaps it is moving back in that direction again.  I hope the Raiders decide to stay in Oakland.   We are spending 1 billion in road capacity enhancement in Vegas and that won't be helped by a 65,000 seat stadium right off the main traffic route through our valley.  After a big sports event here now, there is always a problem serious enough to be noted on TV.

I could watch a news program and viewed-listened to news.   Not many talking heads back then.  Now when I watch "news" on the boob tube, I sometimes substitute the people for comic book characters as every one is an expert that interviews other experts.

So I get most of my news via the internet where I can select stories of interest from some agency that still uses the printed word.  Then there are things like uTube.  Technology, in particular, the Smartphone is great stuff but is apparently affecting our citizenry with reduced attention span, distractions from tasks such as driving and walking across the street.   I was recently at a National Park in Oregon where a sign read - "Selfie Danger Area."  Apparently they lost several tourists over the edge and were trying to reduce their paperwork and body disposals.  I still see drivers apparently texting in freeway traffic.   Personally, I despise telephones of all types although I use mine to give my wife driving directions from home (although she has built-in Nav) and for computer security.  Not all tech stuff is bad.

I read where old school subjects such as cursive writing and arithmetic are being phased out in our grammar schools.  With our local schools ranking in the lower 2% of the USA, and with most administrators drawing six-figure salaries - 3 times that of our teachers - what will they teach?  I can recall the days in grammar school when an occasional new kid from somewhere foreign would show up in class.  We kids taught them English pretty fast - in class and in after-school play and sports.  Mandatory busing has probably stopped this route to learning English.  But when one sees results and costs of teaching ESL, it is apparent that something is wrong. I have often wondered how much money could be saved and that most non-native residents had to learn English as a business language and citizenship requirement.  I believe road sign and traffic laws are available in at least a dozen languages.  This may be for getting more people behind the wheel (more revenue) but I have a feeling that the deep underlying reason for not making newer residents assimilate in language is twofold.  One to garner more votes and to also keep many in that world of second-class citizens economically and socially.

I read of the Swedish approach where they pay immigrants to learn Swedish.  Not just give them handouts.  It seems to reduce their immigrant unemployment rate enough to make it worthwhile.

Lou Rothenstein <loumisgm@yahoo.com>

Wed 11/8/2017, 8:11 AM

Lou

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

NEVADA NEWS AND VIEWS
Attorney General Laxalt Releases Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE Program
November 11, 2016
clip_image002
Business Case in Honor of Veterans Day November 11, 2016 (NV) Today, Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt is pleased to announce the completion of the business case for the Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE Program. The program was officially launched one year ago in November, 2015, and is the nation’s first attorney general-led, public-private partnership offering our military communities access to pro bono civil legal services. In practice, the program pairs military Service members in need of legal assistance with pro bono private legal counsel for civil matters including consumer fraud, military rights, immigration, landlord/tenant, predatory lending and creditor/debtor issues. The program also provides monthly workshops dedicated to drafting free wills and powers of attorney for Nevada veterans across the state.
The @EASE program strives to bolster military readiness by providing Service members with the knowledge that the program has the capacity to manage legal affairs in their absence—putting our Service members @EASE. Earlier this year, the Department of Defense named the Office a “Best Practice Program,” and recommended that the program be duplicated in states throughout the country. The program has partnered with the Nevada State Bar, County Bars and numerous statewide legal organizations to recruit more than 150 local attorneys willing to represent our Service members and their families free of charge.
“Today, on behalf of all Nevadans, I salute the millions of veterans who have dedicated their lives to protecting the life and liberty of all Americans, and hope you will join me in extending our deepest gratitude for their service,” said Attorney General Adam Laxalt. “Nevada is home to an estimated 11,400 active duty military members, 7,620 reserve members and over 228,000 veterans, and the Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE program, through its pro bono partnerships, is proud to have helped Nevada’s Service members and veterans handle over 900 pro bono matters in its first year. With the completion of this business case, there is now empirical data justifying the need for this program and a roadmap to support efforts to form legal assistance offices in other states. It is my hope that this program will demonstrate a commitment to our military communities for years to come, and that eligible Nevadans will continue to take advantage of these services.
” For more information about the program, visit nvagomla.nv.gov . Nevada attorneys hoping to volunteer pro bono hours to the program should email Heather Cooney at HCooney@ag.nv.gov

Services Offered

The state of Nevada currently has an active duty and veteran population of over 400,000 people. These citizens, by virtue of having served our nation and state, are eligible for pro bono representation from the Nevada Attorney General’s Office of Military Legal Assistance. Those eligible to receive assistance include active duty, reserve and National Guard service members and their spouses. The veteran community will be covered for wills and powers of attorney, and hopes to expand its services for veterans after the first year.

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Wills and Powers of Attorney
Creditor Debtor
Consumer Fraud
Naturalization/Immigration






NEVADA NEWS AND VIEWS

NEVADA NEWS AND VIEWS
Attorney General Laxalt Releases Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE Program
November 11, 2016
clip_image002
Business Case in Honor of Veterans Day November 11, 2016 (NV) Today, Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt is pleased to announce the completion of the business case for the Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE Program. The program was officially launched one year ago in November, 2015, and is the nation’s first attorney general-led, public-private partnership offering our military communities access to pro bono civil legal services. In practice, the program pairs military Service members in need of legal assistance with pro bono private legal counsel for civil matters including consumer fraud, military rights, immigration, landlord/tenant, predatory lending and creditor/debtor issues. The program also provides monthly workshops dedicated to drafting free wills and powers of attorney for Nevada veterans across the state.
The @EASE program strives to bolster military readiness by providing Service members with the knowledge that the program has the capacity to manage legal affairs in their absence—putting our Service members @EASE. Earlier this year, the Department of Defense named the Office a “Best Practice Program,” and recommended that the program be duplicated in states throughout the country. The program has partnered with the Nevada State Bar, County Bars and numerous statewide legal organizations to recruit more than 150 local attorneys willing to represent our Service members and their families free of charge.
“Today, on behalf of all Nevadans, I salute the millions of veterans who have dedicated their lives to protecting the life and liberty of all Americans, and hope you will join me in extending our deepest gratitude for their service,” said Attorney General Adam Laxalt. “Nevada is home to an estimated 11,400 active duty military members, 7,620 reserve members and over 228,000 veterans, and the Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE program, through its pro bono partnerships, is proud to have helped Nevada’s Service members and veterans handle over 900 pro bono matters in its first year. With the completion of this business case, there is now empirical data justifying the need for this program and a roadmap to support efforts to form legal assistance offices in other states. It is my hope that this program will demonstrate a commitment to our military communities for years to come, and that eligible Nevadans will continue to take advantage of these services.
” For more information about the program, visit nvagomla.nv.gov . Nevada attorneys hoping to volunteer pro bono hours to the program should email Heather Cooney at HCooney@ag.nv.gov

Services Offered

The state of Nevada currently has an active duty and veteran population of over 400,000 people. These citizens, by virtue of having served our nation and state, are eligible for pro bono representation from the Nevada Attorney General’s Office of Military Legal Assistance. Those eligible to receive assistance include active duty, reserve and National Guard service members and their spouses. The veteran community will be covered for wills and powers of attorney, and hopes to expand its services for veterans after the first year.

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Wills and Powers of Attorney
Creditor Debtor
Consumer Fraud
Naturalization/Immigration







flapjack fundraiser

Attached is the flyer for the flapjack fundraiser. NVF flapjack 6-10-17

please pass this to all your friends in las vegas